Multiple character motion capture

ABSTRACT

Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for motion capture. The method includes obtaining a first video with at least one actor, the first video including a first set of movements of the at least one actor. The method also includes obtaining a second video with the at least one actor, the second video including a second set of movements of the at least one actor, the second set of movements correlating with the first set of movements. The method also includes combining the first video with the second video to obtain a combined video, the combined video including the first set of movements and the second set of movements, the first set of movements displayed as outlines.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to motion capture, and moreparticularly to motion capture of multiple characters.

BACKGROUND

Recent advances in computing technology have allowed video gamedevelopers and publishers to provide increasingly realistic characterrepresentations within a video game. Typically, groups of individuals(e.g., actors, sports players, etc.) are brought into a productionstudio to capture their movements, and character models are generatedusing the captured movements. Traditional motion capture systems requireintensive coordination between large groups of individuals, which leadsto inaccuracies in the captured movements over multiple motion captureshooting cycles.

SUMMARY

The subject disclosure provides for creating realistic video game scenesby coordinating motion capture of a small group of individuals overmultiple motion capture shooting cycles. The multiple shooting cyclesmay be tiled together on-set such that it may appear that the group ofindividuals are interacting with each other without overlaps. The motioncapture system provides improved coordination among multiple individualsover multiple motion capture shooting cycles. In this respect, themotion capture system increases the quality of the captured movementdata (or raw motion capture data) for producing realistic characterinteractions at a lower cost.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, acomputer-implemented method for motion capture is provided. The methodincludes obtaining a first video with at least one actor, the firstvideo including a first set of movements of the at least one actor. Themethod also includes obtaining a second video with the at least oneactor, the second video including a second set of movements of the atleast one actor, the second set of movements correlating with the firstset of movements. The method also includes combining the first videowith the second video to obtain a combined video, the combined videoincluding the first set of movements and the second set of movements,the first set of movements displayed as outlines.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a system isprovided including a processor and a memory comprising instructionsstored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause theprocessor to perform a method for motion capture. The method includesobtaining a first video with at least one actor, the first videoincluding a first set of movements of the at least one actor. The methodalso includes obtaining a second video with the at least one actor, thesecond video including a second set of movements of the at least oneactor, the second set of movements correlating with the first set ofmovements. The method also includes combining the first video with thesecond video to obtain a combined video, the combined video includingthe first set of movements and the second set of movements, the firstset of movements displayed as outlines.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium is provided including instructions(e.g., stored sequences of instructions) that, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to perform a method for motion capture.The method includes obtaining a first video with at least one actor, thefirst video including a first set of movements of the at least oneactor. The method also includes obtaining a second video with the atleast one actor, the second video including a second set of movements ofthe at least one actor, the second set of movements correlating with thefirst set of movements. The method also includes combining the firstvideo with the second video to obtain a combined video, the combinedvideo including the first set of movements and the second set ofmovements, the first set of movements displayed as outlines.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a system isprovided that includes means for storing instructions, and means forexecuting the stored instructions that, when executed by the means,cause the means to perform a method. The method includes obtaining afirst video with at least one actor, the first video including a firstset of movements of the at least one actor. The method also includesobtaining a second video with the at least one actor, the second videoincluding a second set of movements of the at least one actor, thesecond set of movements correlating with the first set of movements. Themethod also includes combining the first video with the second video toobtain a combined video, the combined video including the first set ofmovements and the second set of movements, the first set of movementsdisplayed as outlines.

It is understood that other configurations of the subject technologywill become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description, wherein various configurations of thesubject technology are shown and described by way of illustration. Aswill be realized, the subject technology is capable of other anddifferent configurations and its several details are capable ofmodification in various other respects, all without departing from thescope of the subject technology. Accordingly, the drawings and detaileddescription are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not asrestrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide furtherunderstanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of thisspecification, illustrate disclosed embodiments and together with thedescription serve to explain the principles of the disclosedembodiments. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example architecture for motion capture in acomputer-operated imaging environment suitable for practicing someimplementations of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 conceptually illustrates an example of a motion capture systemfor capturing a likeness of a target participant according to certainaspects of the disclosure.

FIGS. 3A-3G illustrate successive screen captures of outputs of a systemfor multiple character motion capture, according to certain aspects ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example output of a system for multiple charactermotion capture, according to certain aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example user interface for multiple charactermotion capture, according to certain aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example flow diagram for multiple character motioncapture, according to certain aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates implementations of some elements of a video gamesystem in accordance with one or more implementations of the subjecttechnology.

FIG. 8 illustrates an implementation of a user computing system inaccordance with one or more implementations of the subject technology.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example computer system withwhich aspects of the subject technology can be implemented.

In one or more implementations, not all of the depicted components ineach figure may be required, and one or more implementations may includeadditional components not shown in a figure. Variations in thearrangement and type of the components may be made without departingfrom the scope of the subject disclosure. Additional components,different components, or fewer components may be utilized within thescope of the subject disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth to provide a full understanding of the present disclosure. It willbe apparent, however, to one ordinarily skilled in the art that theembodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some ofthese specific details. In other instances, well-known structures andtechniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure thedisclosure.

General Overview

Many video games, including sports titles, use motion capture (or mocap)data as a source of animation for character models. In many interactiveenvironments such as video games, a game engine runs according to rulesof the game by taking into account user input and presenting an animateddisplay that is responsive to the user input.

The display of a video game is generally a video sequence presented to adisplay capable of displaying the video sequence. The video sequencetypically includes multiple video frames. By rendering frames insuccession according to a sequence order, simulated objects appear tomove. The game engine typically generates frames in real-time such as inresponse to user input.

The simulated objects can be generated entirely from mathematical modelsdescribing the shape of the objects (such as arms and a torso describedby a set of plane and/or curve surfaces), generated from stored images(such as the face of a famous person), or a combination thereof. Itshould be noted that if a game engine (or more specifically, a renderingengine that is part of the game engine or used by the gamed engine) hasdata as to where each object or portion of a flexible object is in ascene, the frame for that scene can be rendered using standard renderingtechniques so the more relevant aspect of a game is how to determinewhere each object is in the scene so that the rendered video sequence isappropriate.

The disclosed system addresses a problem in traditional motion capturesystems tied to computer technology, namely the technical problem ofcapturing motion capture data of several individuals simultaneously. Thedisclosed system solves this technical problem by providing a solutionalso rooted in computer technology, namely, by coordinating movementsbetween the several individuals through several motion capture shootingcycles and combining video data of the shooting cycles.

The disclosed subject technology further provides improvements to thefunctioning of the computer itself because it reduces costs andincreases editing efficiency. Specifically, a reduction in individualsutilized to simulate multiple characters allows for improvedcoordination and capture of movement during multiple motion captureshoot cycles. Additionally, video data may be edited on-set, whichreduces post-processing costs and improves efficiency.

As used herein, the term “frame” generally refers to an image of a videosequence. In some systems, such as interleaved displays, the frame mayinclude multiple fields or more complex constructs, but generally aframe represents a view into a computer-generated scene at a particulartime or short time window. For example, with 60 frame-per-second video,if one frame represents the scene at t=0, then the next frame wouldrepresent the scene at t= 1/60 second. In some cases, a frame mayrepresent the scene from t=0 to t= 1/60, but in a simple case, the frameis a snapshot in time.

As used herein, the term “scene” may include simulated objects that arepositioned in a world coordinate space within a view pyramid, viewrectangular prism or other shaped view space. A scene may includeseveral objects with some of the objects being animated in that theobjects appear to move either in response to game engine rules or userinput. For example, in a basketball game, a character for one of thebasketball players may shoot a basket in response to user input, while adefending player will attempt to block the shooter in response to logicthat is part of the game rules (e.g., a machine-learning component ofthe game rules may include a rule that defenders block shots when a shotattempt is detected) and when the ball moves through the net, the netmoves in response to the ball. Animated objects are typically referredto herein generically as characters and in specific examples, such asanimation of a football, soccer, baseball, basketball, or other sportsgame. The characters are typically simulated players in the interactiveenvironment. In many cases, the characters correspond to real-worldsports figures, and those real-world sports figures may have contributedmotion capture data for use in animating their corresponding character.In this respect, the corresponding animated character may be an avatarof the real-word sports figure. In some aspects, interactive environmentplayers and characters may be non-human, simulated robots or othercharacter types.

As used herein, the term “animation” generally refers to the process ofgenerating successive scenes such that when the corresponding frames aredisplayed in sequence, characters or other objects in the scene appearto move.

Example System Architecture

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a video capture system 100 for capturingmultiple videos of one or more live events from multiple camera angles.As shown, the video capture system 100 includes six cameras 102-1 to102-6 (individually, camera 102; collectively, cameras 102), eachpositioned at a different angle relative to a target area 104. Thetarget area 104 may comprise, for example, a sporting venue (e.g., afootball field) or other type of venue supporting live events (e.g., amusic concert venue). The cameras 102 may comprise, for example, HD(high-definition), 4K, and/or UHD video cameras. It will be appreciatedthat although six cameras 102 are shown, other implementations mayinclude a greater or lesser number of such cameras 102 and/or arrangedin a similar or different configuration, including at different heightsand/or across more than one venue. In one or more implementations, thevideo capture system 100 includes an optical camera system in additionto the video cameras (e.g., 102).

The cameras 102 may capture videos of one or more target participants106-1 to 106-n (individually, target participant 106; collectively,target participants 106) in the target area 104 from multiple cameraangles. The target participants 106 may comprise, for example, playersin a sporting event (e.g., football players) or other type ofparticipant in a live event (e.g., musician). In some implementations,the cameras 102 may capture multiple videos of the target participant106-1 from multiple camera angles over a predetermined amount of time,e.g., one or more games, seasons, etc., and the captured video may becombined into single video, or set(s) of video, associated with thetarget participant 106-1.

In some implementations, the target participants 106 may be identifyingby identifying attributes, such as player name, player number, and soforth. In some aspects, the target participants 106 are outfitted withreflective markers that optically interact with the cameras 102.Alternatively, the target participants 106 may be outfitted with one ormore sensors for supporting identifying his or her position and/ormovement within the target area 104 of the videos. For example, thesensors may include RFID (radio-frequency identification) sensors. Theseand other identifying attributes may be included in metadata associatedwith the video, as discussed further below.

Example System for Capturing Likeness of Target Participant

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagram of a system 200 for capturing a likeness ofa target participant (e.g., target participant 106-1) based on videosrecorded during one or more live events from multiple camera angles(e.g., by the cameras 102). Generally, likeness may include physicalcharacteristics (e.g., height, weight, body dimensions), skeletalcharacteristics (e.g., posture, joint angles), and movementcharacteristics of a target participant. In some implementations, thesystem 200 may generate graphic datasets based on the likeness of thetarget participant and store and/or transmit the graphic datasets toassist in rendering gameplay of a video game of the player representingthe target participant. In a specific implementation, the system 200includes user devices 202-1 to 202-n (collectively, the user devices202), a pose generation system 204, a model processing system 206, thevideo capture system 100, and a communications network 208. In variousimplementations, one or more digital devices may comprise the userdevices 202, the pose generation system 204, the model processing system206, and the communications network 208. It will be appreciated that adigital device may be any device with a processor and memory, such as acomputer.

The pose generation system 204 is configured to generate one or moresets of poses (e.g., three-dimensional poses) of a target participant(e.g., target participant 106-1) from the videos captured by one or morecameras (e.g., the cameras 102). In some implementations, a pose of atarget participant is generated from one or more frames of one or morevideos, and for each of the multiple cameras angles. The individualposes can be aggregated into one or more sets of poses associated with atarget participant and associated with a movement type and/or gamestimulus. In some implementations, a user (e.g., an administrator) maytag a set of poses with a particular movement type and/or game stimulus,and/or the set of poses may be tagged automatically by the posegeneration system, e.g., based on a comparison with a previously taggedset or sets of poses. In some implementations, the user can identify atime range in video clips corresponding to a particular movement typeand/or a particular game stimulus. The video clips may be used togenerate the set of poses corresponding to the movement type and/or gamestimulus. In various implementations, a movement type may include, forexample, standing, gait, walk, run, jump, spin, and so forth, asdiscussed further below. A game stimulus may include, for example,winning, losing, upset, fatigue (e.g., near end of game, after a longrun, etc.), fumble, etc.

The model processing system 206 is configured to generate graphical databased on one or more sets of poses to capture a likeness of a targetparticipant (e.g., target participant 106-1) performing a particularmovement and/or in response to a particular game stimulus. In someimplementations, the model processing system 206 stores one morecharacter models (e.g., 3D character models). The character models mayinclude physical, skeletal, and/or movement characteristics. The modelprocessing system 206 may use the character models to generatecustomized character models, e.g., character models having values moreclosely reflecting a likeness of the target participant when performinga movement, or to generate graphic information (e.g., joint angles,postural information, motion information) that can be provided to theuser device for replicating the likeness of the players during gameplay.

For example, a default sequence of poses may represent a defaultcharacter model performing a default jump movement when be is fatigued.The default sequence of poses of the default character model may beadjusted based on a comparison of the default poses with set of poses togenerate the customized character model or graphic data to include thejump movement of the target participant when the target participant isfatigued. The customized character model or graphic data set for thejump movement of the target participant may be used to render the gamecharacter with the likeness of the real person. It will be appreciatedthat the graphic data may be the customized character model.

In some implementation, the pose generation system 204 and/or the modelprocessing system 206 may comprise hardware, software, and/or firmware.The pose generation system 204 and/or the model processing system 206may be coupled to or otherwise in communication with a communicationnetwork 208. In some implementations, the pose generation system 204and/or the model processing system 206 may comprise software configuredto be run (e.g., executed, interpreted, etc.) by one or more servers,routers, and/or other devices. For example, the pose generation system204 and/or the model processing system 206 may comprise one or moreservers, such as a windows 2012 server, Linux server, and the like.Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be multiplenetworks and the pose generation system 204 and/or the model processingsystem 206 may communicate over all, some, or one of the multiplenetworks. In some implementations, the pose generation system 204 and/orthe model processing system 206 may comprise a software library thatprovides an application program interface (API). In one example, an APIlibrary resident on the pose generation system 204 and/or modelprocessing system 206 may have a small set of functions that are rapidlymastered and readily deployed in new or existing applications. There maybe several API libraries, for example one library for each computerlanguage or technology, such as, Java, .NET or C/C++ languages.

The user devices 202 may include any physical or virtual digital devicethat can execute a video game application (e.g., football gamesimulation). For example, a user device 202 may be a video game console,laptop, desktop, smartphone, mobile device, and so forth. In someimplementations, executing the video game application on a user device202 may comprise remotely accessing a video game application executed onanother digital device (e.g., another user device 202, server, and soforth).

While many user devices 202 may be different, they may share some commonfeatures. For example, the user devices 202 may have some method ofcapturing user input such as a keyboard, remote control, touchscreen,joystick, or the like. Different user devices 202 may also have somemethod of displaying a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image usinga display such as a TV screen (e.g., LED, LCD, or OLED) or touchscreen.The user devices 202 may have some form of processing CPU, although thecapability often widely varies in terms of capability and performance.

In various implementations, one or more users (or, “players”) mayutilize each user device 202 to play one or more games (e.g., a sportsgame, a turn-based game, a first-person shooter, etc.). Each user device202 may display a user interface associated with the desired game. Theuser interface may be configured to receive user selections (e.g., userinput) for gameplay. For example, there may be any number of menus thatprovide opportunity for player selection via buttons, radio buttons,check boxes, sliders, text fields, selectable objects, moveable objects,and/or the like.

The content of the user interface may be generated and/or selected basedon game rules and/or a current game state. Game rules and the currentgame state may dictate options from which the player may choose. Oncethe player provides selection(s), in some implementations, a simulationmay be performed to determine the result of the player selection(s) inthe context of game play (e.g., utilizing the current game state). Insome implementations, the simulation is conducted locally (e.g., aplayer utilizing the user device 202-1 inputs selection(s) and the userdevice 202-1 performs the simulation) based on the game rules. Invarious implementations, the simulation may be performed by anotherdigital device. For example, the user device 202-1 may provide theselection(s) and/or the current game state to a remote server (notshown) via the communication network 208. The remote server may performthe simulation based on the game rules, the player selection(s), and/orthe current game state.

Once the simulation results are obtained, whether performed locally orremotely, the simulation results need to be rendered, either locally orremotely. The rendering engine, which may be on the user device 202, canuse the customized character models to render the likeness of the targetparticipants during gameplay. As described in more detail below, therendering engine will select graphical datasets in order to render thesimulation results. The rendering engine may select different graphicaldatasets to render the different gameplay clips so as to create atemporally accurate rendition of the likeness of the target participant,and so as to create variety in the movement of the target participant,e.g., so that the player representing the target participant uses thedifferent jump sequences that the target participant uses in real life.The rendering engine may use the customized character models to generatethe entire rendering of gameplay event, portions of the rendering of thegameplay event, and/or extra-gameplay clips.

In some implementations, the communications network 208 represents oneor more network(s). The communications network 208 may providecommunication between the user devices 202, the pose generation system204, the model processing system 206 and/or the video capture system100. In some examples, the communication network 208 comprises digitaldevices, routers, cables, and/or other network topology. In otherexamples, the communication network 208 may be wired and/or wireless. Insome implementations, the communication network 208 may be another typeof network, such as the Internet, that may be public, private, IP-based,non-IP based, and so forth.

It will be appreciated that, although the system herein is beingdescribed with regard to capturing physical, skeletal and movementcharacteristics of a target participant, the system herein can be usedin a similar manner to capture facial and other micro-expressioncharacteristics of the target participant, possibly in relation to gamestimuli. It may be necessary to have cameras of sufficiently highdefinition capable of capturing the facial and/or micro-expressions at adistance, or close-up cameras, e.g., on a target participant's helmet,to capture the facial and/or micro-expressions.

In traditional motion capture systems, simulating a scene having manycharacters involves multiple takes (e.g., motion capture cycles) withmultiple actors. This is because in order to reduce costs, rather thanhaving an actor for each character to be simulated, (e.g., 53 actors for53 football players in a football simulation game), motion is capturedfor a smaller group of actors (e.g., around six actors) over multipletakes. However, it is difficult and time-consuming to coordinatemovements of the actors over multiple takes without having actorsoverlapping with each other. It is also expensive and time-consuming toedit the takes to remove any overlaps. Therefore, there is a need forimproved motion capture of multiple characters that overcomes thesedeficiencies.

Example System for Multiple Character Motion Capture

Aspects of the present disclosure provide for improved motion capture ofmultiple characters. Motion capture data from a previous take isduplicated such that actors may act out a scene while also viewing theprevious take in real time. This allows for the actors to coordinatetheir movements with movements in the previous take.

FIGS. 3A-3G illustrate successive screen captures 300 a-300 g of outputsof a system for multiple character motion capture, according to certainaspects of the disclosure. The system may be substantially similar tosystems 100 and 200 described above in relation to FIGS. 1 and 2. Thescreen captures 300 a-300 g may be from successive moments in time 320a-320 g. The screen captures 300 a-300 g may each include a first view302, a second view 304, a third view 306, and a fourth view 308 of ascene. It is understood that although four views 302-308 are shown,views from additional viewpoints may be included as well.

The screen captures 300 a-300 g may be in relation to a scene where afirst character 310-1 views an object (e.g., a smartphone, video player,etc.) and passes the object to a second character 310-2, and bothcharacters walk away, where both the first character 310-1 and thesecond character 310-2 are portrayed by the same actor 310 throughsuccessive takes.

According to an aspect, motion capture data may include the actor 310portraying the first character 310-1 during a first take to capture afirst set of movements. For example, referring to FIGS. 3A-3G insuccession, the movements of the actor 310 were recorded during a firsttake where the first character 310-1 views an object 350 (FIG. 3A),shows the object 350 (FIG. 3B), puts the object 350 down (FIG. 3C), andwalks away (FIGS. 3D-3G).

The motion capture data may include the actor 310 portraying the secondcharacter 310-2 during a second take to capture a second set ofmovements. For example, referring to FIGS. 3A-3G in succession, themovements of the actor 310 were recorded during the second take wherethe second character 310-2 is sitting (FIG. 3A), looking at the object350 (FIG. 3B), picking up the object 350 (FIG. 3D), reacting to theobject 350 (FIG. 3E), and walking away (FIGS. 3F-3G).

When combined together, the first take and the second take display acomplete scene where the first character 310-1 views the object 350while the second character 310-2 is sitting and looking at the firstcharacter 310-1 (FIG. 3A), the first character 310-1 shows the object350 to the second character 310-2 (FIG. 3B), the first character 310-1puts the object 350 down (FIG. 3C), the second character 310-2 picks theobject 350 up (FIG. 3D) and reacts to the object 350 while the firstcharacter 310-1 gets up and walks away (FIG. 3E). The second character310-2 then gets up (FIG. 3F) and walks away (FIG. 3G). For example, thefirst take and the second take may be combined through tiling.

According to an aspect, the walking paths 330 of the first character310-1 and the second character 310-2 may not intersect. For example, thefirst character 310-1 walks along a first marked path 330-1, and thesecond character 310-2 walks along a second marked path 330-2, such thatthe paths do not cross.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, movements of the actor310 from the first take and the second take may be coordinated with eachother in real-time. For example, motion capture data from the first takemay be displayed (e.g., overlaid) simultaneously with motion capturedata from the second take, such that movements of the actor 310 fromeach take may be compared. In an implementation, a first take includesmovements of the first character 310-1, and a second take includesmovements of the second character 310-2, as illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3G.The first take and the second take are combined, such that the firstcharacter 310-1 is shown as a “ghost” (e.g., in dotted lines, in asee-through manner, as an outline, etc.) and the second character 310-2is shown as captured. The movements of the first character 310-1 and thesecond character 310-2 can be compared in real-time, and adjustments canbe made either through editing or by filming another take. For example,if movements of the actor 310 from the first and second takes do notmatch up, then another take may be filmed to correct any mismatchesand/or actor overlaps.

According to an aspect, the second take may be recorded in real-time asthe actor 310 is portraying the second character 310-2 based onmovements of the first character 310-1 in the first take. For example,the first character 310-1 from the first take may be output to a displayas a “ghost” (e.g., as an outline of the first character 310-1, as shownin FIGS. 3A-3G) simultaneously as the actor 310 is portraying the secondcharacter 310-2 during the second take. In this way, a third party(e.g., a director) may record the second take while also viewing acombined motion capture output of the first character 310-1 interactingwith the second character 310-2 in real-time. The third party may thenmake adjustments based on the combined motion capture output. Forexample, the third party may determine whether the actor 310 walkedthrough his own “ghost”, walked through another character, was lookingin the wrong direction, etc. According to an aspect, the combined motioncapture output may be displayed on a camera output screen in real-timewhile the camera is filming the take.

As described herein, the disclosed system allows for an actor 310 tointeract with him/herself in a scene with 100% accuracy. For example,the actor 310 handed a phone across a table to him/herself seamlessly.This is because the actor 310 was shown where the phone was being held,where the phone landed, etc., so that the actor 310 could transfer thephone to his/her other self in the next take with perfect accuracy.

Rather than filming multiple takes and blindly guessing at positions andmovements of each character and relying on an editing team to fix anyerrors, the disclosed system allows for real-time editing and adjustingof the actor 310 for improved character coordination in a final combinedoutput of takes. This saves on costs for hiring actors, as capturedmovements of a few actors may be combined to create a realistic scene ofmany characters. Additionally, editing time and complexity is reduced,as animators can work with a base of coordinated movements without actoroverlaps, which also reduces costs.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example screen capture 400 of a twelve charactersideline scene generated through multiple takes with six actors. Thescreen capture 400 may be from a moment in time 420. The screen capture400 includes a first view 402, a second view 404, a third view 406, anda fourth view 408 of a scene. It is understood that although four views402-408 are shown, views from additional viewpoints may be included aswell.

According to an aspect, in a scene from a football simulation game thatinvolves twelve total players, six actors may portray all twelveplayers. The six actors are recorded in a first take of the scene.During a second take, motion capture data of the first take isduplicated and played in real-time as the six actors are recorded againwith movements responsive to the first take. Combining the first takeand the second take results in a scene with twelve total playersinteracting with each other without actors overlapping (e.g., in anidentical location in space).

Similar to the above in FIGS. 3A-3G, a first take is overlaid over asecond take to include “ghosts” of the actors. For example, character410-1 (shown in dotted lines) is from a first take, and character 410-2(shown in solid lines) is from a second take. For example, character410-1 may be displayed as an outline (e.g., in outline format,see-through, etc.). The same actor 410 may portray both the firstcharacter 410-1 and the second character 410-2. Similarly, the otherfive actors portray the other ten characters. According to an aspect,the same six actors may portray additional characters in a scene asneeded.

According to an aspect, a recording of a take may be output to a displayfor viewing by the actors 410 after each take. The actors 410 can viewtheir positions in space and perform a second take while the first takeis played in real-time. The actors 410 can also perform test runs basedon the playback of each take prior to filming a subsequent take.Additionally, a third party may determine whether any people walkedthrough another person, walked through their “ghost”, the occurrence ofintersecting people, timing issues, etc., and make appropriatecorrections. As a result, real world behaviors may be captured throughorganic performances, which are difficult to duplicate by animators.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example user interface 500 for multiple charactermotion capture, according to certain aspects of the disclosure.According to an aspect, a third party (e.g., a director) may directmotion capture of actors through the interface 500. The interface 500may be an application installed in any one of a computer, smartphone,tablet, laptop, etc. The interface 500 may include a first display 502and a second display. The first display 502 may output a first take, andthe second display 504 may output a second take.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, each of the firstdisplay 502 or the second display 504 may display a combination of thefirst take and the second take. For example, the first display 502 mayshow a first take with three actors, including a first character 510-1portrayed by one of the actors. The second display 504 may show acombination of the first take and a second take. The combination may beshown on the second display 504 simultaneously as the second take isbeing filmed, or may be displayed after the second take is over. Forexample, the second display 504 shows the three actors, including asecond character 510-2 portrayed by the same actor that portrayed thefirst character 510-1. Both the first character 510-1 and the secondcharacter 510-2 are visible on the second display 504, with the firstcharacter 510-1 (shown in dotted lines) appearing as a “ghost”. Theother actors may also be acting against their respective “ghosts” (e.g.,outlines), as shown on the second display 504.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, the director can directthe actors while recording, playing back, and/or marking where they wantthe actors to stand, and also adjusting timings of actions based onprevious takes. For example, the director is able to interactively workwith footage by scrubbing through a scene frame by frame using theinterface 500.

In an implementation the director may mark entrances and exits ofactors, and may finalize and add a subsequent take. For example, afterfilming a first take, the first take is reviewed with the actors throughthe interface 500. The directed can then have the actors walk through asecond take that is based on the first take, before filming a secondtake. The second take is then reviewed by everyone through the interface500, and it may be confirmed that there were no issues (e.g., noclipping, quality of acting, etc.). The scene may then be finalized bycombining the first take with the second take. The interface 500 may beincluded on a smartphone or tablet for added mobility and ease of use.

According to an aspect, the director may isolate portions of the takesthat include undesirable occurrences, such as actors overlapping, badacting, etc. For example, the director may choose to eliminate just oneperson, or an entire stream of motion capture data. The director mayalso make a note to an animator to delete an actor's data from a sceneand/or from certain portions of a scene, such that the animator canignore that actor's motion capture data. Additional takes may also bedone to correct errors.

The techniques described herein may be implemented as method(s) that areperformed by physical computing device(s); as one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media storing instructions which, whenexecuted by computing device(s), cause performance of the method(s); or,as physical computing device(s) that are specially configured with acombination of hardware and software that causes performance of themethod(s).

FIG. 6 illustrates an example flow diagram (e.g., process 600) formultiple character motion capture, according to certain aspects of thedisclosure. For explanatory purposes, the example process 600 isdescribed herein with reference to the systems 100 and 200 of FIGS. 1-2.Further for explanatory purposes, the blocks of the example process 600are described herein as occurring in serial, or linearly. However,multiple blocks of the example process 600 may occur in parallel. Inaddition, the blocks of the example process 600 need not be performed inthe order shown and/or one or more of the blocks of the example process600 need not be performed. For purposes of explanation of the subjecttechnology, the process 600 will be discussed in reference to FIGS. 1-2.

At block 602, a first video is obtained with at least one actor, thefirst video including a first set of movements of the actor. At block604, a second video is obtained with the actor, the second videoincluding a second set of movements of the actor, the second set ofmovements correlating with the first set of movements. At block 606, thefirst video is combined with the second video to obtain a combinedvideo, the combined video including the first set of movements and thesecond set of movements, the first set of movements displayed asoutlines.

According to an aspect, the process 600 further includes monitoring thefirst video and the second video to ensure correlation of the first setof movements with the second set of movements.

According to an aspect, the process 600 further includes tiling thefirst video with the second video.

According to an aspect, the process 600 further includes obtaining athird video with the actor, the third video including a third set ofmovements of the actor, the third set of movements correlating with thefirst set of movements and the second set of movements.

According to an aspect, the process 600 further includes combining thethird video with the first video and the second video to obtain thecombined video.

According to an aspect, the process 600 further includes adjusting thesecond set of movements to correlate with the first set of movements.

According to an aspect, the process 600 further includes translating thecombined video into an animated sequence.

Hardware Overview

FIG. 7 illustrates implementations of some elements of a video gamesystem 700 in accordance with one or more implementations of the subjecttechnology. In particular, FIG. 7 illustrates implementations ofelements involved in execution of gameplay within a game application.The game application may be executed by a user computing device, such asthat described below with respect to FIGS. 8 and 9. The game system 700may receive user input to control aspects of the game according to gamerules 730. Game rules 730 may be specified in instruction form on gamemedia. Examples of game rules 730 include rules for scoring, possibleinputs, actions/events, movement in response to inputs, and the like.Other components can control what inputs are accepted and how the gameprogresses, and other aspects of gameplay. The elements in FIG. 7illustrate elements used for generating and rendering animation withinthe game based on various inputs.

As shown in FIG. 7, by system 700, user inputs and game code/data may beused to generate display video. The game system also handles playing thegame and presenting corresponding audio output. The description of FIG.7 is focused on generating frames of display video for the game. A gameengine 702 receives the user inputs and determines character events,such as actions, collisions, runs, throws, attacks and other eventsappropriate for the game.

The character events are conveyed to a character movement engine 710that determines the appropriate motions the characters should make inresponse to the events. Further, the character movement engine 710 maygenerate a character pose that can be passed directly or provided to askinning and rendering engine 714 or to a physics engine 712 for furtherprocessing. This generated character pose may be referred to as the“target pose.” The physics engine 712 tracks the target pose by, forexample, calculating the torques and forces necessary to make theragdoll representation of the character follow the target pose. Incalculating the torques and forces for making the ragdoll representationof the character follow the target pose, the physics engine 712 mayaccount for or incorporate external forces and collision constraints inits calculations. A muscle system inside or communicating with thephysics engine 712 may account for forces that a representation ofmuscles associated with the character, or its ragdoll representation,may apply in attempting to follow the target pose. By accounting for therepresentation of the muscles associated with the character, the physicsengine 712 can determine how closely the target pose will be followed bythe ragdoll. Muscle tensions for the character can be tweaked to followthe target pose loosely or closely. The physics engine 712 may generatethe final character pose that may be provided to the skinning andrendering engine 714. The skinning and rendering engine 714 in turnprovides character frames to an object combiner 716 to combine animate,inanimate, and background objects into a full scene. The full scene isconveyed to a renderer 718, which generates a new frame 720 therefrom.

Game code/data 704 is shown comprising game rules 730, prerecordedmotion capture data 732 (e.g., poses/paths), environmental settings 734,constraints 736 (such as strength and velocity constraints), andskeleton models 738. The device executing the game might have memory 706for game state 740, character states 742 and scene object storage 744.Character states 742 can comprise storage for a current pose ofcharacters being animated.

During operation, the game engine 702 reads in game rules 730 andconsiders game state 740 to arrive at character events. Charactermovement engine 710 reads in prerecorded poses/paths from a motioncapture data repository 732 as well as character states 742. The motioncapture data repository 732 can store motion capture clips in the formof marker positions and/or a hierarchy of relative joint orientations.The pose for each frame within the collection of animation clips may beuniquely identified by a corresponding hierarchy of relative jointorientations. An optional collision detector engine 722 can detectcollisions generated by the physics engine 712 and alert the game engineto the collisions, which may result in the triggering of specific gameevents. Further, the detection of collisions may result in arecalculation of the final pose by the physics engine 712.

In some implementations, the character movement engine 710 can work inconjunction with the physics engine 712 to create a proceduralanimation. In some such implementations, the physics engine 712 maygenerate a final pose for an object or character that differs from thetarget pose, in, response to, for example, a collision detected by thecollision detector 722. The character pose may be generated on aframe-by-frame basis and can be based at least in part on one or morephysics rules implemented by the physics engine 712. For example, thefinal pose may be based at least in part on the target pose provided bythe character movement engine 710 and the impact of a collision forceand/or a gravitational value. The character movement engine 710 can usethe final pose to identify a motion capture frame included in the motioncapture data 732, which may be provided as the target pose for the nextframe in the procedural animation. The strength of the musclesdetermined by the physics engine 712 may be used to determine howclosely the new target pose will be followed when generating thesubsequent frame. Advantageously, in certain implementations, using thefinal pose to select a motion capture frame and updating the target posefor the next frame update based on the selected motion capture frameenables more fluid procedural animation compared to pre-existingprocesses. Further, the use of procedural animation can result in alarger variety of animation within a game while reducing storage spacefor the game data 704 of a game. In certain implementations, one or moreof the game engine 702, the character movement engine 710, the physicsengine 712, and the collision detector 722, among other systems may beconfigured to execute the processes discussed below with respect to FIG.9. However, as described below, a separate computing system may be usedto execute the process described with respect to FIG. 9 to create themotion capture data repository 732.

As needed, character movement engine 710 may also use other dataelements shown, such as skeleton models 738, also referred to as rigs.Rigs are often used in character animations. A typical rig may comprisea collection of character components, such as a skeletal structure and amesh to be skinned over the skeletal structure. A typical rig comprisesa skeletal structure for a character and includes a plurality of degreesof freedom. A rig may also comprise a set of animation controls thatenable an animator to move the various components of the character inorder to create motion in an animation. Character movement engine 710might also introduce character movements for randomness, personality,and so forth.

In certain implementations, the character movement engine 710 provides atarget pose based on, game rules. For example, the game logic may selectan, animation to be played, and a current frame of the animation maydictate the target pose. The physics engine 712 can receive the targetpose as an input and can calculate the forces and torques to make theragdoll representation follow the target pose. The strength of themuscles of the ragdoll may determine how closely the target pose isfollowed by the ragdoll when generating the procedural animation.Further, the physics engine 712 may modify the calculation of the pathfollowed by the ragdoll based at least in part on external forces and/orcollision constraints that occur with respect to the character in thevideo game. Thus, in some cases, even with strong muscles, the targetpose may not be reached if, for example, a collision occurs or there isan obstacle in the path of one or more of the character's limbs.

The pose matching controller 752 can identify one or more frames from ananimation to display based on how well a character pose from oneanimation matches a character pose from another animation. For example,the pose matching controller 752 can identify a number of pose featuresor reference features from a character in a particular animation, or acurrent frame from the particular animation, and determine thedifference between the pose features and corresponding pose featuresfrom frames of a second animation. In some implementations, a particularframe of an animation is compared to one or more frames from anotheranimation. For example, upon receiving a trigger to change animations,the pose matching controller 752 may compare a current frame and/or asubsequent frame to one or more frames of a new animation to bedisplayed. The frame from the second animation with pose features thathas the smallest difference compared to the pose features of theparticular animation may be selected as a start frame when transitioningfrom the particular animation to the second animation. Advantageously,in certain implementations, the pose matching controller 752 enablesanimations to appear smoother or more realistic compared to systems thatstart subsequent animations at the same start frame each time and/orwithout accounting for the frame of a the current animation whentransitioning to a new animation.

The skinning and rendering engine 714 takes into account the surfaces,colors and textures of the body parts of posed characters and renderscharacter images. Object combiner 716 can then combine the characterimages with inanimate and background objects obtained from scene objectsstorage 744 to provide a complete scene to renderer 718.

FIG. 8 illustrates an implementation of a user computing system 800,which may also be referred to as a gaming system, in accordance with oneor more implementations of the subject technology. As illustrated, theuser computing system 800 may be a single computing device that caninclude a number of elements. However, in some cases, the user computingsystem 800 may include multiple devices. For example, the user computingsystem 800 may include one device that includes that includes a centralprocessing unit and a graphics processing unit, another device thatincludes a display, and another device that includes an, inputmechanism, such as a keyboard or mouse.

The user computing system 800 can be an implementation of a computingsystem that can execute a game system, such as the game system 700described with respect to FIG. 7. In the non-limiting example of FIG. 8,the user computing system 800 is a touch-capable computing devicecapable of receiving input from a user via a touchscreen display 802.However, the user computing system 800 is not limited as such and mayinclude non-touch capable implementations, which do not include atouchscreen display 802.

The user computing system 800 includes a touchscreen display 802 and atouchscreen interface 804, and is configured to execute a gameapplication 810. This game application may be a video game or anapplication that executes in conjunction with or in support of the videogame, such as a video game execution environment. Further, the gameapplication may include one or more of the features described withrespect to the game system 700. Although described as a game application810, in some implementations the application 810 may be another type ofapplication that may include procedural animations based on motioncapture data and/or that may transition between two differentanimations, such as educational software. While user computing system800 includes the touchscreen display 802, it is recognized that avariety of input devices may be used in addition to or in place of thetouchscreen display 802.

The user computing system 800 can include one or more processors, suchas central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs),and accelerated processing units (APUs). Further, the user computingsystem 800 may include one or more data storage elements. In someimplementations, the user computing system 800 can be a specializedcomputing device created for the purpose of executing game applications810. For example, the user computing system 800 may be a video gameconsole. The game applications 810 executed by the user computing system800 may be created using a particular application programming interface(API) or compiled into a particular instruction set that may be specificto the user computing system 800. In some implementations, the usercomputing system 800 may be a general purpose computing device capableof executing game applications 810 and non-game applications. Forexample, the user computing system 800 may be a laptop with anintegrated touchscreen display or desktop computer with an externaltouchscreen display. Components of an example implementation of a usercomputing system 800 are described in, more detail with respect to FIG.9.

The touchscreen display 802 can be a capacitive touchscreen, a resistivetouchscreen, a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, or other type oftouchscreen technology that is configured to receive tactile inputs,also referred to as touch inputs, from a user. For example, the touchinputs can be received via a finger touching the screen, multiplefingers touching the screen, a stylus, or other stimuli that can be usedto register a touch input on the touchscreen display 802. Thetouchscreen interface 804 can be configured to translate the touch inputinto data and output the data such that it can be interpreted bycomponents of the user computing system 800, such as an operating systemand the game application 810. The touchscreen interface 804 cantranslate characteristics of the tactile touch input touch into touchinput data. Some example characteristics of a touch input can include,shape, size, pressure, location, direction, momentum, duration, and/orother characteristics. The touchscreen interface 804 can be configuredto determine the type of touch input, such as, for example a tap (forexample, touch and release at a single location) or a swipe (forexample, movement through a plurality of locations on touchscreen in asingle touch input). The touchscreen interface 804 can be configured todetect and output touch input data associated with multiple touch inputsoccurring simultaneously or substantially in parallel. In some cases,the simultaneous touch inputs may include instances where a usermaintains a first touch on the touchscreen display 802 whilesubsequently performing a second touch on the touchscreen display 802.The touchscreen interface 804 can be configured to detect movement ofthe touch inputs. The touch input data can be transmitted to componentsof the user computing system 800 for processing. For example, the touchinput data can be transmitted directly to the game application 810 forprocessing.

In some implementations, the touch input data can undergo processingand/or filtering by the touchscreen interface 804, an operating system,or other components prior to being output to the game application 810.As one example, raw touch input data can be captured from a touch input.The raw data can be filtered to remove background noise, pressure valuesassociated with the input can be measured, and location coordinatesassociated with the touch input can be calculated. The type of touchinput data provided to the game application 810 can be dependent uponthe specific implementation of the touchscreen interface 804 and theparticular API associated with the touchscreen interface 804. In, someimplementations, the touch input data can include location coordinatesof the touch input. The touch signal data can be output at a definedfrequency. Processing the touch inputs can be computed many times persecond and the touch input data can be output to the game applicationfor further processing.

A game application 810 can be configured to be executed on the usercomputing system 800. The game application 810 may also be referred toas a video game, a game, game code and/or a game program. A gameapplication should be understood to include software code that a usercomputing system 800 can use to provide a game for a user to play. Agame application 810 might comprise software code that informs a usercomputing system 800 of processor instructions to execute, but mightalso include data used in the playing of the game, such as data relatingto constants, images and other data structures. For example, in theillustrated implementation, the game application includes a game engine812, game data 814, and game state information 816.

The touchscreen interface 804 or another component of the user computingsystem 800, such as the operating system, can provide user input, suchas touch inputs, to the game application 810. In some implementations,the user computing system 800 may include alternative or additional userinput devices, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a camera, a game controller,and the like. A user can interact with the game application 810 via thetouchscreen interface 804 and/or one or more of the alternative oradditional user input devices. The game engine 812 can be configured toexecute aspects of the operation of the game application 810 within theuser computing system 800. Execution of aspects of gameplay within agame application can be based, at least in part, on the user inputreceived, the game data 814, and game state information 816. The gamedata 814 can include game rules, prerecorded motion capture poses/paths,environmental settings, constraints, animation reference curves,skeleton models, and/or other game application information. Further, thegame data 814 may include information that is used to set or adjust thedifficulty of the game application 810.

The game engine 812 can execute gameplay within the game according tothe game rules. Some examples of game rules can include rules forscoring, possible inputs, actions/events, movement in response toinputs, and the like. Other components can control what inputs areaccepted and how the game progresses, and other aspects of gameplay.During execution of the game application 810, the game application 810can store game state information 816, which can include characterstates, environment states, scene object storage, and/or otherinformation associated with a state of execution of the game application810. For example, the game state information 816 can identify the stateof the game application at a specific point in time, such as a characterposition, character action, game level, attributes, and otherinformation contributing to a state of the game application.

The game engine 812 can receive the user inputs and determine in-gameevents, such as actions, collisions, runs, throws, attacks and otherevents appropriate for the game application 810. During operation, thegame engine 812 can read in game data 814 and game state information 816in order to determine the appropriate in-game events. In one example,after the game engine 812 determines the character events, the characterevents can be conveyed to a movement engine that can determine theappropriate motions the characters should make in response to the eventsand passes those motions on to an animation engine. The animation enginecan determine new poses for the characters and provide the new poses toa skinning and rendering engine. The skinning and rendering engine, inturn, can provide character images to an object combiner in order tocombine animate, inanimate, and background objects into a full scene.The full scene can conveyed to a renderer, which can generate a newframe for display to the user. The process can be repeated for renderingeach frame during execution of the game application. Though the processhas been, described in the context of a character, the process can beapplied to any process for processing events and rendering the outputfor display to a user.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system 900with which aspects of the subject technology can be implemented. Incertain aspects, the computer system 900 may be implemented usinghardware or a combination of software and hardware, either in adedicated server, integrated into another entity, or distributed acrossmultiple entities.

Computer system 900 (e.g., system 200, video game system 700, usercomputing system 800) includes a bus 908 or other communicationmechanism for communicating information, and a processor 902 coupledwith bus 908 for processing information. By way of example, the computersystem 900 may be implemented with one or more processors 902. Processor902 may be a general-purpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, aDigital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific IntegratedCircuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a ProgrammableLogic Device (PLD), a controller, a state machine, gated logic, discretehardware components, or any other suitable entity that can performcalculations or other manipulations of information.

Computer system 900 can include, in addition to hardware, code thatcreates an execution environment for the computer program in question,e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, adatabase management system, an operating system, or a combination of oneor more of them stored in an included memory 904 (e.g., device memory706), such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), a flash memory, a Read OnlyMemory (ROM), a Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), an Erasable PROM(EPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, orany other suitable storage device, coupled to bus 908 for storinginformation and instructions to be executed by processor 902. Theprocessor 902 and the memory 904 can be supplemented by, or incorporatedin, special purpose logic circuitry.

The instructions may be stored in the memory 904 and implemented in oneor more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computerprogram instructions encoded on a computer readable medium for executionby, or to control the operation of, the computer system 900, andaccording to any method well known to those of skill in the art,including, but not limited to, computer languages such as data-orientedlanguages (e.g., SQL, dBase), system languages (e.g., C, Objective-C,C++, Assembly), architectural languages (e.g., Java, .NET), andapplication languages (e.g., PHP, Ruby, Perl, Python). Instructions mayalso be implemented in computer languages such as array languages,aspect-oriented languages, assembly languages, authoring languages,command line interface languages, compiled languages, concurrentlanguages, curly-bracket languages, dataflow languages, data-structuredlanguages, declarative languages, esoteric languages, extensionlanguages, fourth-generation languages, functional languages,interactive mode languages, interpreted languages, iterative languages,list-based languages, little languages, logic-based languages, machinelanguages, macro languages, metaprogramming languages, multiparadigmlanguages, numerical analysis, non-English-based languages,object-oriented class-based languages, object-oriented prototype-basedlanguages, off-side rule languages, procedural languages, reflectivelanguages, rule-based languages, scripting languages, stack-basedlanguages, synchronous languages, syntax handling languages, visuallanguages, wirth languages, and xml-based languages. Memory 904 may alsobe used for storing temporary variable or other intermediate informationduring execution of instructions to be executed by processor 902.

A computer program as discussed herein does not necessarily correspondto a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of afile that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts storedin a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to theprogram in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files thatstore one or more modules, subprograms, or portions of code). A computerprogram can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiplecomputers that are located at one site or distributed across multiplesites and interconnected by a communication network. The processes andlogic flows described in this specification can be performed by one ormore programmable processors executing one or more computer programs toperform functions by operating on input data and generating output.

Computer system 900 further includes a data storage device 906 such as amagnetic disk or optical disk, coupled to bus 908 for storinginformation and instructions. Computer system 900 may be coupled viainput/output module 910 to various devices. The input/output module 910can be any input/output module. Exemplary input/output modules 910include data ports such as USB ports. The input/output module 910 isconfigured to connect to a communications module 912. Exemplarycommunications modules 912 include networking interface cards, such asEthernet cards and modems. In certain aspects, the input/output module910 is configured to connect to a plurality of devices, such as an inputdevice 914 (e.g., touchscreen display 802, touchscreen interface 804)and/or an output device 916 (e.g., touchscreen display 802). Exemplaryinput devices 914 include a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., amouse or a trackball, by which a user can provide input to the computersystem 900. Other kinds of input devices 914 can be used to provide forinteraction with a user as well, such as a tactile input device, visualinput device, audio input device, or brain-computer interface device.For example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensoryfeedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback,and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic,speech, tactile, or brain wave input. Exemplary output devices 916include display devices such as a LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor,for displaying information to the user.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, each of the system200, the video game system 700, and/or the user computing system 800 canbe implemented using a computer system 900 in response to processor 902executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained inmemory 904. Such instructions may be read into memory 904 from anothermachine-readable medium, such as data storage device 906. Execution ofthe sequences of instructions contained in the main memory 904 causesprocessor 902 to perform the process steps described herein. One or moreprocessors in a multi-processing arrangement may also be employed toexecute the sequences of instructions contained in memory 904. Inalternative aspects, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or incombination with software instructions to implement various aspects ofthe present disclosure. Thus, aspects of the present disclosure are notlimited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

Various aspects of the subject matter described in this specificationcan be implemented in a computing system that includes a back endcomponent, e.g., such as a data server, or that includes a middlewarecomponent, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front endcomponent, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface ora Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementationof the subject matter described in this specification, or anycombination of one or more such back end, middleware, or front endcomponents. The components of the system can be interconnected by anyform or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communicationnetwork. The communication network (e.g., communication network 208) caninclude, for example, any one or more of a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, andthe like. Further, the communication network can include, but is notlimited to, for example, any one or more of the following networktopologies, including a bus network, a star network, a ring network, amesh network, a star-bus network, tree or hierarchical network, or thelike. The communications modules can be, for example, modems or Ethernetcards.

Computer system 900 can include clients and servers. A client and serverare generally remote from each other and typically interact through acommunication network. The relationship of client and server arises byvirtue of computer programs running on the respective computers andhaving a client-server relationship to each other. Computer system 900can be, for example, and without limitation, a desktop computer, laptopcomputer, or tablet computer. Computer system 900 can also be embeddedin another device, for example, and without limitation, a mobiletelephone, a PDA, a mobile audio player, a Global Positioning System(GPS) receiver, a video game console, and/or a television set top box.

The term “machine-readable storage medium” or “computer readable medium”as used herein refers to any medium or media that participates inproviding instructions to processor 902 for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media,volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, forexample, optical or magnetic disks, such as data storage device 906.Volatile media include dynamic memory, such as memory 904. Transmissionmedia include coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, includingthe wires that comprise bus 908. Common forms of machine-readable mediainclude, for example, floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetictape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other opticalmedium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patternsof holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH EPROM, any other memory chipor cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read. Themachine-readable storage medium can be a machine-readable storagedevice, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, acomposition of matter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, ora combination of one or more of them.

As the user computing system 800 reads the game data 814 and provides agame, information may be read from the game data 814 and stored in amemory device, such, as the memory 904. Additionally, data from thememory 904, servers accessed via a network (e.g., communication network208) through the bus 908, or the data storage 906 may be read and loadedinto the memory 904. Although data is described as being found in thememory 904, it will be understood that data does not have to be storedin the memory 904 and may be stored in other memory accessible to theprocessor 902 or distributed among several media, such as the datastorage 906.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series ofitems, with the terms “and” or “or” to separate any of the items,modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list (i.e.,each item). The phrase “at least one of” does not require selection ofat least one item; rather, the phrase allows a meaning that includes atleast one of any one of the items, and/or at least one of anycombination of the items, and/or at least one of each of the items. Byway of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at leastone of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C; anycombination of A, B, and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B, and C.

To the extent that the terms “include”, “have”, or the like is used inthe description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive ina manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpretedwhen employed as a transitional word in a claim. The word “exemplary” isused herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration”.Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to beconstrued as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

A reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “oneand only one” unless specifically stated, but rather “one or more”. Allstructural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousconfigurations described throughout this disclosure that are known orlater come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art areexpressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to beencompassed by the subject technology. Moreover, nothing disclosedherein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whethersuch disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description.

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of what may be claimed, but ratheras descriptions of particular implementations of the subject matter.Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in asingle embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described inthe context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multipleembodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover,although features may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more featuresfrom a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from thecombination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

The subject matter of this specification has been described in terms ofparticular aspects, but other aspects can be implemented and are withinthe scope of the following claims. For example, while operations aredepicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not beunderstood as requiring that such operations be performed in theparticular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustratedoperations be performed to achieve desirable results. The actionsrecited in the claims can be performed in a different order and stillachieve desirable results. As one example, the processes depicted in theaccompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular ordershown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In certaincircumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.Moreover, the separation of various system components in the aspectsdescribed above should not be understood as requiring such separation inall aspects, and it should be understood that the described programcomponents and systems can generally be integrated together in a singlesoftware product or packaged into multiple software products. Othervariations are within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for motion capture, comprising: recording, through a video capture system comprising at least one camera and at least one display device, a first scene with at least one actor, the first scene comprising a first video of a first set of movements of the at least one actor; displaying, through the at least one display device of the video capture system, a second video of the first scene with the at least one actor, the second video comprising a live video of a first take of a second set of movements of the at least one actor, the second set of movements correlating with the first set of movements; combining, through a user interface of the video capture system, the first video with the second video to obtain a combined video, the combined video comprising the first set of movements and the second set of movements, the first set of movements of the respective at least one actor displayed differently than the live video of the first take of the second set of movements; displaying, through the at least one display device of the video capture system, the combined video of the first set of movements displayed differently than the live video of the second set of movements, the displaying of the combined video enabling a comparison of the second set of movements in the first take with the first set of movements; recording, through the video capture system, a final video comprising a second take of the second set of movements based on the comparison of the second set of movements with the first set of movements; and deleting, from the final video, actor data of the at least one actor in at least a portion of the first scene.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: monitoring the first video and the second video to ensure correlation of the first set of movements with the second set of movements.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the combining comprises: tiling the first video with the second video.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining a third video with the at least one actor, the third video comprising a third set of movements of the at least one actor, the third set of movements correlating with the first set of movements and the second set of movements.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising: combining the third video with the first video and the second video to obtain the combined video.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the second video comprises: adjusting the second set of movements to correlate with the first set of movements.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: translating the combined video into an animated sequence.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one actor portrays a first character in the first video and a second character in the second video, the first character different from the second character.
 9. A system for motion capture, comprising: a processor; and a memory comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform: recording, through a video capture system comprising at least one camera and at least one display device, a first scene with at least one actor, the first scene comprising a first video of a first set of movements of the at least one actor; displaying, through the at least one display device of the video capture system, a second video of the first scene with the at least one actor, the second video comprising a live video of a first take of a second set of movements of the at least one actor, the second set of movements correlating with the first set of movements; combining, through a user interface of the video capture system, the first video with the second video to obtain a combined video, the combined video comprising the first set of movements and the second set of movements, the first set of movements of the respective at least one actor displayed differently than the live video of the first take of the second set of movements; displaying, through the at least one display device of the video capture system, the combined video of the first set of movements displayed differently than the live video of the second set of movements, the displaying of the combined video enabling a comparison of the second set of movements in the first take with the first set of movements; recording, through the video capture system, a final video comprising a second take of the second set of movements based on the comparison of the second set of movements with the first set of movements; and deleting, from the final video, actor data of the at least one actor in at least a portion of the first scene.
 10. The system of claim 9, further comprising stored sequences of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform: monitoring the first video and the second video to ensure correlation of the first set of movements with the second set of movements.
 11. The system of claim 9, further comprising stored sequences of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform: tiling the first video with the second video.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the combining comprises: obtaining a third video with the at least one actor, the third video comprising a third set of movements of the at least one actor, the third set of movements correlating with the first set of movements and the second set of movements.
 13. The system of claim 12, further comprising stored sequences of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform: combining the third video with the first video and the second video to obtain the combined video.
 14. The system of claim 9, further comprising stored sequences of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform: adjusting the second set of movements to correlate with the first set of movements.
 15. The system of claim 9, further comprising stored sequences of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform: translating the combined video into an animated sequence.
 16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium is provided including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for motion capture, comprising: recording, through a video capture system comprising at least one camera and at least one display device, a first scene with at least one actor, the first scene comprising a first video of a first set of movements of the at least one actor; displaying, through the at least one display device of the video capture system, a second video of the first scene with the at least one actor, the second video comprising a live video of a first take of a second set of movements of the at least one actor, the second set of movements correlating with the first set of movements; combining, through a user interface of the video capture system, the first video with the second video to obtain a combined video, the combined video comprising the first set of movements and the second set of movements, the first set of movements of the respective at least one actor displayed differently than the live video of the first take of the second set of movements; displaying, through the at least one display device of the video capture system, the combined video of the first set of movements displayed differently than the live video of the second set of movements, the displaying of the combined video enabling a comparison of the second set of movements in the first take with the first set of movements; recording, through the video capture system, a final video comprising a second take of the second set of movements based on the comparison of the second set of movements with the first set of movements; and deleting, from the final video, actor data of the at least one actor in at least a portion of the first scene.
 17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: monitoring the first video and the second video to ensure correlation of the first set of movements with the second set of movements.
 18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: tiling the first video with the second video.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining a third video with the at least one actor, the third video comprising a third set of movements of the at least one actor, the third set of movements correlating with the first set of movements and the second set of movements.
 20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises: combining the third video with the first video and the second video to obtain the combined video.
 21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: adjusting the second set of movements to correlate with the first set of movements. 